A former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State, Mallam Salihu Isa Nataro, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of urgency to persuade former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to return to the APC.

Nataro disclosed that the realignment of political forces in the North makes it imperative that Tinubu should take the North West zone very seriously, noting that after the removal of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as APC chairman, the zone cannot boast of any strong ally for the President.

He argued that speculations about Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s moves to join the coalition in African Democratic Congress (ADC) should worry every ardent supporter of the president, adding that even if incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State joins APC there is still a big vacuum for zonal influence.

While blaming envious politicians and detractors for the estrangement of el-Rufai from the Tinubu camp, Nataro, who is also a Public Sector reform advocate, said the only mistakes that the former Kaduna State governor made in his public service record was using foreign loans finance the beautification of Kaduna State.

“The narrative should have been different if el-Rufai had invested that huge loan amount to reform education and agriculture or establish cottage industries in the state. But, overall, that little mistake does not detract from his excellent performance as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

“There is much work to be done in North West geopolitical zone to properly market my boss, Tinubu, properly. And, I am convinced that el-Rufai can play that role effectively. I am therefore using this opportunity to impress it upon the President as one of his aren’t supporters in the region that el-Rufai should be brought back to his camp now,” Nataro stated.

He explained that if el-Rufai is brought back to go along with the president, the former Kaduna State governor will surely use his massive regional influence to garner a lot of votes for Tinubu.